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Voykit pocket guide · Nepal
Birgunj
बीरगंज
Cross the border at Raxaul, sleep one night on the main road, then leave for Kathmandu or Chitwan: there is no sightseeing that justifies a second day.
Birgunj sits on the Nepal–India border opposite Raxaul, 3 km from the frontier post, and is the main overland gateway for goods and travellers arriving from Bihar and Kolkata. There is almost no sightseeing: a clocktower, a lake, a 200-year-old temple and a wildlife reserve to the north. Most travellers spend one night, or pass through in a few hours between the Indian railhead and a Kathmandu bus.
- Country
- Nepal
- Local name
- बीरगंज
- Best months
- Oct–Mar
- Avoid
- Apr–Jun (40 °C heat and mosquitoes), monsoon Jul–SepApr–Jun (104 °F heat and mosquitoes), monsoon Jul–Sep
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NPR
- Money
- NPR in small notes (100s and 500s) for taxis, tea shops and entry tickets.
- Daily spend
- Budget NPR 2,000–3,500 excl. bed · Mid NPR 3,500–7,000 excl. bed · High NPR 7,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Nepal Telecom (NTC) and Ncell sell tourist SIMs at Kathmandu airport and in town with passport and a photo.
- Emergency
- Police 100 · Ambulance 102 · Tourist police 1144
- Plugs
- Types C, D, M · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round-pin sockets; a universal adapter covers them. Treks charge for device charging.
- Tipping
- Trekking guide: About 10–15% of the guide's total fee, at the end.; Porter: US$5–10 a day, at the end, in person.; Restaurant: Round up if 10% service is added; 5–10% if not.; Driver day: Rs 500–1,000.; Hotel staff: Rs 100–200.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Use filtered refill stations (Rs 50–100 a litre) or purification tablets; buying plastic bottles on treks leaves rubbish in the mountains.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels; squat toilets with a water jug elsewhere. Carry tissue; on treks toilets are outside and freeze in winter.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Hotel restaurant meal | NPR 200–500 |
| Street snack (sweets, paratha, biryani) | NPR 50–250 |
| Tea or coffee | NPR 30–100 |
| Cycle rickshaw, main road | NPR 80–150 |
| Bus Birgunj → Kathmandu | NPR 700–1,500 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | NPR 500–1,500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SIF · Simara Airport (Jeetpur Simara)
- About 30 min by road from Birgunj; flights from Kathmandu (check schedules and operators)
Typical fares
- Rickshaw, border → clocktower
- about NPR 80–150, agree first
- Shared jeep Birgunj → Kathmandu
- about NPR 500 per person, 6–9 h
- Private jeep Birgunj → Kathmandu
- about NPR 6,000 per vehicle
Get around
The town is flat and short: cycle rickshaws cover the main road for around NPR 80, and shared jeeps and tempos run the same strip. Walking from the border to the clocktower takes about 30–40 min. For the bus park, take a rickshaw or jeep rather than walking with bags.
See and do
Known for
- Nepal–India border crossing at Raxaul
- Ghantaghar clocktower and Maisthan Mandir
- Parsa National Park
- Gadhi Mai temple fair (every five years)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Parsa National Park | Jeep or taxi north from town, then a guided walk or jeep safari | 1–2 h each way |
| Raxaul, India | Rickshaw or walk to the border post, then cross on foot | About 30 min |
| Chitwan | Bus or jeep via Bharatpur, or a private transfer | 3–4 h |
| Kathmandu | Bus or shared jeep from the bus park | 6–9 h |
Sleep
- Main Road / Adarshnagar
- Most hotels sit on or just off the main road between the border and the clocktower; walkable to food and the Ncell shop.
- New Bus Park area
- North end of town, 3 km from the border; convenient if you leave early by bus or jeep.North end of town, 1.9 mi from the border; convenient if you leave early by bus or jeep.
- Jeetpur Simara
- Outskirts near the airport; only useful for a flight the next morning.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Greetings | नमस्तेnamaste |
| Thank you | धन्यवादdhanyabad |
| How much is it? | कति पर्छ?kati parcha |
| Where is the bus park? | बस पार्क कहाँ छ?bus park kaha chha |
| I need a room | मलाई कोठा चाहियोmalai kotha chahiyo |
| Stop here, please | यहीं रोक्नुहोस्yahi roknuhos |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Namaste with palms together; a handshake between men in business; avoid: Hugging or kissing in public
- Temples and stupas: Walk clockwise, spin prayer wheels clockwise, shoes off at shrines; avoid: Touching offerings; entering Hindu-only areas
- Food: Right hand, accept refills gracefully; avoid: Sharing food you have bitten; stepping over food
- Feet and heads: Keep feet flat and away from people and altars; avoid: Touching anyone's head
- Photos: Ask first; offer to show the picture; avoid: Photographing cremations or rituals without permission
- On the trail: Pass mani walls and chortens on the left (keeping them on your right); give way to yaks on the mountain side; avoid: Standing on the drop side when animals pass
Scams and watch-outs
- April brings 40 °C heat and heavy mosquitoes; a room without a working fan is unusable.
- Border formalities at Raxaul can be slow and chaotic: keep your passport and Indian visa or e-visa printout to hand.
- Ask the fare before you get into a rickshaw or jeep; there is no meter.
- Book buses and jeeps through your hotel where possible; touts at the bus park quote high.
Birgunj is a busy trading town, not a tourist town: petty theft and overcharging are the real risks, and the border area is crowded. Avoid walking the highway at night, keep bags zipped, and treat the April heat as a genuine hazard.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Birgunj yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Nepal–India border crossing at Raxaul
- Ghantaghar clocktower and Maisthan Mandir
- Parsa National Park
- Gadhi Mai temple fair (every five years)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Nepal Tourism Board: www.welcomenepal.com/
- Nepal Department of Immigration: www.immigration.gov.np/
- Wikivoyage: Birgunj, revision 5300287 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5300287
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Birgunjबीरगंज
यो ठेगानामा जानुहोस्
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Birgunj; the nearest are in Kathmandu. Indian nationals can use the consulate in Birgunj (check).
Border crossing at Raxaul is on foot; keep your passport and Indian visa printout accessible.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/birgunj). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.